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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447227">His Cherokee Rose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pen_and_crow/pseuds/pen_and_crow'>pen_and_crow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(kind of) canon compliant, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Originally posted on FF, Slow Burn, edited and re-uploaded, first official work on AO3, i still need to watch the new season, will update this more as i continue working on it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:53:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pen_and_crow/pseuds/pen_and_crow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rory is the firstborn child of Rick and Lori Grimes, and older sister to Carl. Before the end of the world she was an art major in college; but now that everything has gone to hell she will have to learn how to survive just like everyone else. Along the way she will face danger, suffer loss, meet new friends, and create enemies. But can she save a few lives as well along the way?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. How it all Began</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Some of you may recognize this from my account back on FF.net (originally under the pseudonym Rising-from-the-Wreckage), but I have decided to try expanding my horizons so all my works will be edited, re-uploaded, and cross posted here, on my Tumblr, and on FF. Everything has also been condensed to be under the same user tag, which is the reason for the name change over on FF! :) Hope you're all staying safe during this Covid quarantine. &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night is balmy. The air lays thick and heavy over the highway, but the gentle sound of cicadas singing in the trees nearby is drowned out by the blaring of car horns and the desperate, argumentative voices of a thousand people stuck in a traffic standstill that stretches on for miles.</p><p>Helicopters swoop low and slow overhead, circling the city of Atlanta and the massive pileup awaiting just outside its borders. People are wandering in the streets amidst the cars, confused and frightened and trying to figure out just what is going on. The radios are playing nothing but static, and at this point even the emergency broadcasting has stopped.</p><p>Shane Walsh leans out of the open driver's side door of his car, looking up to the sky as the choppers continue to pass them by. Parked next to him is an old tan Cherokee, and on its open bumper Carl Grimes sits with a young girl playing checkers as the adults linger nearby. Behind his shoulder stands his older sister Rory Grimes, who has been keeping the children distracted with hints and strategic plays on both sides. It's been working for a little while, but they're all growing restless.</p><p>"Are we going soon?" the petite, blond-haired girl questions. Rory is pretty sure her name is Sophia.</p><p>"I don't know baby," her mother Carol answers. "I sure hope so."</p><p>"I'm hungry," Carl pipes up, shifting to look between his sibling and their mother, who's sitting propped against the bumper of Shane's car.</p><p>"I know buddy, we all are," Rory reassures him as best she can. "Maybe we won't be stuck here too much longer."</p><p>Carol speaks up from the side, offering to get Carl something to eat. "Ed's into all this survival stuff. We've got enough M.R.E.s to feed a small army."</p><p>"I'd sure appreciate it," Lori Grimes responds while the other woman walks around to the driver's side of their Cherokee, assuring her that it's no trouble.</p><p>Rory watches Carol's husband Ed follow her towards the front of the car, and hears their whispered argument as the two kids focus once more on their game.</p><p>The portly man chastises his wife for offering supplies to strangers, and the older Grimes child can't help but feel both sympathetic and aggravated at the way he treats her. Ducking her head, Rory pretends to have missed the conversation as Carol circles around the front of the vehicle to dig in her purse.</p><p>She turns instead to watch her mom speaking to Shane, leaning on the edge of the open window as their father's best friend continues to cycle through blank radio stations. She can't hear much of what they're saying from where she stands with the kids, but gathers that at this point even the emergency broadcast about the refugee center in Atlanta has stopped playing. She watches Shane step out of the car and slam the door shut, announcing that he's going to walk ahead to see what's going on.</p><p>"I'll go with you," Lori responds before turning to her daughter. "Can you please stay and watch your brother for me?"</p><p>"Yeah, of course," Rory answers with a nod, turning to Carol as she offers a few granola bars.</p><p>"Ed must have forgot to pack those M.R.E.s, but I found these in my purse."</p><p>"Thanks Miss Carol," Rory replies with a soft smile, glancing over her shoulder where her mom is speaking to Carl.</p><p>"Shane and I are gonna go scout up ahead a little bit and see if we can find someone that knows what's going on," she explains.</p><p>"I want to come with you," Carl pleads, only to be turned down.</p><p>"You stay here with your sister, alright?" She fixes a stray lock of his hair and kisses his forehead.</p><p>"Hey, we'll be back before you know it," Shane promises him. "Okay little man?"</p><p>As they walk off Rory drapes her arm around her little brother's shoulders, leaning her hip against the tailgate of the Cherokee and rubbing his upper arm comfortingly. She hands him one of the granola bars Carol found, and tries to pull both of the kid's attention back to the checkerboard.</p><p>"Your dad's nice," Sophia finally speaks after a few minutes.</p><p>"Shane's not our dad," Carl counters quickly. "Our dad's dead."</p><p>Before Rory can even speak or let the loss of her father resurface in her mind, an explosion echoes somewhere up ahead. Carol huddles the two youngsters close to her side as Rory jumps to her feet, and around them all hell breaks loose. People begin yelling, screaming, and fighting in the middle of the street, and overhead the helicopters circle around to make a beeline for the heart of the city. Their mom and Shane are still gone, and Rory feels a knot of panic coil in her chest.</p><p>She turns to her brother and kneels in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Hey bud, stay here with Sophia and Miss Carol, okay? I'm gonna go find Mom and Shane."</p><p>Rising to her feet, she looks up to the older woman. When she nods in silent reassurance, Rory turns to push her way through the chaotic crowd in search of her family. People press in on her from all directions, jostling her and knocking her against the sides of vehicles as she tries to slip by. She isn't sure if it's been ten seconds or ten minutes, but with each passing moment the heavy feeling of dread weighs down on her, settling like a rock in her stomach.</p><p>Occasionally she tries to ask if anyone has seen her mom, but with so much arguing and clamoring for answers of their own, no one spares a minute for the frantic twenty-something.</p><p>After a while she makes it closer to the city, where the traffic jam is even worse. She can barely squeeze through the cars parked bumper to bumper - finally resorting to climbing over bonnets and tailgates when her path becomes blocked - and here the throng is even thicker. The noise of the crowd is deafening, and Rory manages to slip into the trees where fewer people have dared to venture. Still no one has seen her mother or Shane, and the older Grimes child is beginning to panic. She breaks into a jog, and then a flat-out sprint.</p><p>She never sees the drop off until her racing feet hit thin air, and then she's tumbling down the slope beneath a bridge where the bank of the creek hits her with all the force of a semi. A rock strikes her temple, and in the dark no one sees her lying unconscious at the bottom of the ravine.</p><p>.</p><p>..</p><p>...</p><p>..</p><p>.</p><p>When Rory finally comes to, her head is pounding fiercely and the light is nearly blinding. She groans and rolls onto her side, eyes squeezed shut as her temples throb in time with her heartbeat, and it takes a minute before the world stops spinning.</p><p>Her clothes are splotched with mud and torn in some places, and her shoes are sodden from laying in creek water while she'd been passed out. She pushes herself slowly into a sitting position, still wincing at the pain in her skull, and gingerly touches the swollen area where she knows a dark bruise has probably formed. Thankfully her fingers come away free of blood, and while she has a rather nasty migraine, she's pretty sure that she doesn't have a concussion.</p><p>After allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the mid-morning light, Rory clambers ungracefully to her feet. Now that she's awake and becoming more alert, she realizes that her first priority is finding her family again. It takes her a while to get back up to the top of the ravine, and then she makes a quick bee-line for the road. But she stops dead in her tracks, gasping softly, when she finds the highway silent and devoid of people. The cars are still there - piled one right next to another like some sort of abandoned junkyard - but the only signs of life are the songbirds fluttering in the treetops and the vultures that circle ominously overhead.</p><p>"Mom? Carl! Shane?!" Rory yells, her voice growing more and more desperate as she continues to call out for her family with no response. She wanders among the vehicles, passing doors left wide open with their contents spilling out onto the asphalt. Clothes, supplies, personal belongings... all left behind as if their owners were in too much of a hurry to gather their things.</p><p>Rory even stumbles upon a few corpses, and the sight of the first mutilated body has her dry-heaving behind the tailgate of a nearby Honda. They look like they've been gnawed on by some sort of animal, and then the scraps left behind to rot in the sun. She trembles and screams for help - for her mom and her brother - and then eventually for anybody; but still the silence remains. She weaves through the wreckage and the death towards the city, hoping that somehow they managed to make it inside to the refugee center. That's where she knows she needs to go.</p><p>The day grows on towards evening as Rory finally begins passing the first of the military barriers, but there's still no signs of life. No people, no noise, no movement. The city's turned into a ghost town, and she's beginning to panic. Every few minutes she continues to yell for help, but she only hears her own echoes in reply.</p><p>Until the first Walker hears her calls.</p><p>They descend at first in singles or pairs, and Rory freezes in the middle of the street. Their moans and raspy breathing are nearly silent in the beginning, but as more and more of the reanimated corpses gather around her the cacophony grows. She spots a break in the growing pack and makes a break for freedom, the bottoms of her sneakers slapping against the asphalt as she bolts down a side street. Everywhere she looks she sees the dead walking; growling and groaning as they watch her race by. Soon enough she has quite a crowd forming at her heels, gnashing their teeth at the prospect of a fresh meal, and Rory cries out in fear, begging someone to save her.</p><p>Her lungs are starved for air, and her calves burn with exertion. She doesn't have much energy left to keep running, and she fears that she's going to die here without ever seeing her family again. In her mind's eye she sees her mother's understanding smile, and hears her brother's carefree laugh. She imagines that Shane is protecting them, and has taken them somewhere safe.</p><p>She misses her daddy so much...</p><p>Her steps begin to slow; she can't go much farther.</p><p>The herd is growing behind her, their gurgling snarls drowning out her labored panting.</p><p>Her foot catches on a chunk of broken concrete and she stumbles, hitting the ground hard.</p><p>She waits for the snapping monsters to descend on her, and tears fall across her dirty cheeks. She squeezes her eyes shut and prays for the end to be quick.</p><p>And then the first shots go off, felling the walkers closest to her.</p><p>"Get up!" Someone shouts. "Get out of there! <em>Vamanos</em>!"</p><p>Whipping her head around, Rory sees two men standing in an alley to her left, waving frantically at her. Unsteadily she clambers back to her feet, willing her jelly-like legs to support her weight for just a while longer. One of the two men continues firing into the crowd of walkers while the other reaches out for the girl, and together they slip behind a chain-link fence. She stumbles and the stranger pulls her arm across his shoulders, helping her along until they reach a rusted Oldsmobile idling at the end of the alley. They guide her into the backseat, and with the slamming of doors and the revving of the engine, they peel away deeper into the city.</p><p>"Hey, what's your name, <em>chica</em>?" One of the men asks her. They're both Hispanic, with dark eyes and copper skin. One of them has a crop of black hair with a bandanna wrapped around his forehead, and the bigger of the two men is bald with scruffy facial hair.</p><p>"My - my name's Rory," she stutters in reply. "Who're you?"</p><p>"I'm Felipe," the bald one answers before pointing to his companion behind the wheel. "And that's Jorge. What's a crazy <em>gringa</em> like you doing wandering the streets by yourself, huh?"</p><p>Rory runs her fingers through her tangled hair as she explains, "I was trying to find my family. My mom and my little brother, and a man that was with them. We were all trying to get to the refugee center, but then a lot of things happened at once. I got knocked out, and when I woke up everybody was gone."</p><p>The pair converse among themselves for a moment in Spanish while Rory watches on nervously. The smaller of the two, Jorge, shakes his head unwillingly as he speaks, but Felipe appears to reason with him, occasionally gesturing towards Rory. Finally Felipe turns towards her.</p><p>"We're gonna take you to Guillermo," he tells her. "I don't think any of us have seen your <em>familia</em>, but maybe he can help you out."</p><p>Rory scrubs her fingers against her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. She fears the worst for her family - for her mom and Carl and Shane - but at least for now, she's safe.</p><p>That evening the young girl sits inside Guillermo's compound with a full belly and bandages on her hands where they'd been scraped by her earlier tumble. They'd accepted her rather quickly into their fold, and what Rory had first thought to be a rather welcoming group of gangsters taking Atlanta as their own turf turns out to be a collection of caring people just trying to look after a retirement center that had been abandoned by most of the staff when the city became overrun.</p><p>"You're a <em>nurse</em>?" Rory can't keep the humor from her voice as Felipe takes a seat beside her. He nods with a grin and gestures to Guillermo, who stands nearby deep in conversation with an elderly gentleman.</p><p>"And our fearless leader there used to be the janitor. All of us here are either what's left of the staff or have wandered in over the weeks. We aren't much, but we're the only ones left to take care of the folks here. We're a <em>familia</em> now, and we look after our own."</p><p>He notices that Rory's expression has turned forlorn, and he places one meaty hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"You're safe here," he tells her. "I don't know what to tell you about your mama or your <em>hermano</em>, but I can tell you that if you want to stay, there's a place for you here. Besides, we could always use an extra pair of helping hands."</p><p>The twenty-something looks up, and manages a slight smile. "I guess I can stick around for a while," she replies.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. When the Dead Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the apocalypse, anything is possible...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>Rory is laughing, sitting at a round table with several elderly men in a spacious auditorium that serves as a common area while they swap war stories and reminisce about better times, when she hears the first commotion from afar. Earlier that morning Jorge, Felipe, his cousin Miguel, and another man named Carlito had gone out on a run, but Rory prefers to stay safe inside with the old folks while Guillermo and his men handle most of the supply runs outside the walls of the compound. Normally things go pretty smoothly, but today something different must have happened.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rising from her chair, Rory goes in search of answers, following the angry voices until she finds Felipe in the garage bay ranting about strangers jumping them in the city.</span> </p>
<p><span>"What happened?" she asks Jorge. "What's all this about a bag of guns?"</span> </p>
<p><span>He tells her about a scouting mission the day before, and a duffel bag full of rifles and ammunition just lying out in the open prime for the taking. There had been a horde of walkers surrounding one of the tanks left behind by the military, and today they had gone to retrieve it now that the crowd has dissipated some, but they'd been attacked by strangers.</span> </p>
<p><span>Apparently Felipe had taken an arrow to the ass, too.</span> </p>
<p><span>"We've got their boy now, though," Jorge explains with a triumphant smile. "And G isn't gonna hand him over 'til those </span><em><span>putos </span></em><span>give us the guns."</span> </p>
<p><span>"So that's what we do now?" Rory asks scathingly, turning to Felipe just as Guillermo joins them. "We take prisoners and demand ransoms?"</span> </p>
<p><span>"You gotta understand our position, </span><em><span>cariño</span></em><span>," Guillermo responds. "We need those weapons to protect this place. We don't know these people, and they took Miguel hostage, too."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory shakes her head in agitation, but they're all riled and ready to brawl. Making eye contact with their appointed leader, she gives him a glare that relays undoubtedly her dislike of their plans, and stalks off to find that their own hostage has been sat in a chair with Felipe's </span><em><span>abuela</span></em><span> and another older man named Mr. Gilbert.</span> </p>
<p><span>The Asian boy looks terrified, his skin flushed with sweat and his clothes rumpled and dirty. Rory walks into the kitchen and comes back to him with a glass of water, offering the drink with a sympathetic smile.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Please, let me go," he begs as he takes the glass with trembling hands.</span> </p>
<p><span>"I'm going to talk with Guillermo again," she reassures him. "We'll get this all sorted out, and get you back to your group."</span> </p>
<p><span>"This is all just a misunderstanding!" he continues frantically. "Please, you gotta tell them that those guns belong to us! Rick dropped them when the walkers attacked his horse, and we need them to protect our camp. We were just trying to defend ourselves, not attack your homies, or whatever."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory hushes him and pats his forearm, her smile faltering as her stomach twists with stale sorrow. It's been a long time since she's heard her deceased father's name spoken. "I promise I'll talk to them, but I'm a newcomer here so I don't know how much I'll be able to affect their decisions. Guillermo isn't the type to hurt innocent strangers, though. You'll be okay."</span> </p>
<p><span>She pauses for a moment. "We have to protect our people too, you know. Maybe we can work out a trade or something."</span> </p>
<p><span>"What's your name?" the new kid asks her.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Rory. What about you?"</span> </p>
<p><span>"I'm Glenn. Please, you have to help me. I just want to go back to my friends, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."</span> </p>
<p><span>The young woman nods and sighs, running her fingers through the tumbled mass of her thick brunette hair.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Just stay put, and I'll see what I can do, okay?"</span> </p>
<p><span>Glenn nods, but before she can make good on her word she's stopped by a choking gasp from Mr. Gilbert. She rushes to his side, followed closely by Glenn, and tries to calm the old man down as he's hit by a full-blown asthma attack. Felipe's grandmother immediately </span><span>totters off to fetch her grandson, but they can do nothing but wait and watch until their resident nurse arrives to assist.</span> </p>
<p><span>Minutes pass in tense silence, broken only by Mr. Gilbert's wheezing, and Rory doesn't even look up when Felipe finally trots into the room, still limping slightly from his injury.</span> </p>
<p><span>Until she realizes there are multiple sets of footsteps, and glances up to see who's followed. What she expects is Guillermo and Jorge and maybe the other members of their crew, but what she sees has her jaw dropping in unadulterated shock.</span> </p>
<p><span>Her voice is barely more than a whisper, but in the spacious room, it manages to carry far enough.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Daddy?"</span> </p>
<p><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>..</span> </p>
<p><span>…</span> </p>
<p><span>..</span> </p>
<p><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>For that moment, everything around them seems to freeze. The noise falls away, and Rory stands dumbfounded as she watches her own father stroll into the room, alive and well. She pays no mind to the two other strange men who follow at his heels, and when their eyes lock, Rick Grimes stumbles to a stop.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Rory?"</span> </p>
<p><span>Her feet can't carry her fast enough as she sprints across the room and hurls herself into her father's arms, burying her face into the curve of his neck with a breathless cry of joy. She couldn't care less about the big black man who curses in surprise, or the scruffy redneck who instinctively aims the shaft of his crossbow at her. All she cares about right now is that her dad is </span><em><span>alive</span></em><span>. His arms clamp around her back, crushing her against his chest, and his own sobs are muffled against her shoulder.</span> </p>
<p><span>"I thought you were </span><em><span>dead</span></em><span>!" she mumbles through her tears. "I got separated from everybody, and the walkers almost got me in the city. I didn't think I'd make it."</span> </p>
<p><span>"You're okay, baby girl. You're okay," Rick reassures his daughter, carding his fingers through her hair. "Everything's alright now, I'm here."</span> </p>
<p><span>"Sorry to break up this tearful reunion," the rough-looking stranger suddenly pipes up. "But don't forget we still got to deal with this shit."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory turns her head to see him motion towards the group gathered around Mr. Gilbert, and as Rick unwillingly releases her from his embrace he keeps one hand firmly on her shoulder, as if worried that breaking contact will make her disappear as they all move closer.</span> </p>
<p><span>Her father's attention is quickly drawn to Glenn, who stands at the edge of the crowd watching on with everyone else as Felipe helps Mr. Gilbert with his inhaler.</span> </p>
<p><span>"What the hell is this?" Rick questions.</span> </p>
<p><span>"An asthma attack," Glenn answers as he looks up. "Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."</span> </p>
<p><span>"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man," the black stranger quips.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory presses her fingers against her lips to stifle a giggle as Glenn turns to look down at three small Chihuahuas cuddled together on a leopard-print doggy bed. The bravest of the canine trio, a little white-furred scrap, yaps fiercely at all the commotion.</span> </p>
<p><span>During all the fuss Rory must have missed Guillermo's arrival, but she feels her dad turning and sees him hiss under his breath, "Could I have a word with you?"</span> </p>
<p><span>Still refusing to relinquish his hold on his daughter, Rick tows her along with him as he leads Guillermo off to the side.</span> </p>
<p><span>"You're the dumbest sonofabitch I have ever met," he whispers harshly. "We walked in here ready to kill every last one of you."</span> </p>
<p><span>"You </span><em><span>what</span></em><span>?!"</span> <span>Rory looks up at her father in shock, and he levels her with a steady glare.</span> </p>
<p><span>"We would have done whatever it took to get Glenn back."</span> </p>
<p><span>"So you were just gonna bust in here, guns blazing?"</span> </p>
<p><span>"Well, I'm glad it didn't go down that way," Guillermo interrupts the pair before their argument can devolve any further.</span> </p>
<p><span>"If it had, that blood would be on my hands,"</span> Rick says solemnly.</p>
<p><span>"Mine too," G counters. "We would have fought back. Wouldn't be the first time we've had to. Protect the food, the medicine - What's left of it."</span> </p>
<p><span>"I can't </span><em><span>believe </span></em><span>you two!" Rory snaps, glaring between the two men as they size each other up. They both pause, and while the younger Grimes pulls her arm from her father's grasp, Guillermo sighs heavily.</span> </p>
<p><span>"These people, the old ones - The staff took off, just left 'em here to die," he says. "Me and Felipe were the only ones who stayed."</span> </p>
<p><span>"What are you, doctors?" Rick inquires.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Felipe's a nurse - A special care provider. Me… I'm the custodian."</span> </p>
<p><span>Guillermo checks to make sure everyone is settled and Mr. Gilbert's attack has passed before leading Rory, her father, Glenn, and the two strangers into an empty room off to the side. Rick sets the duffel bag that has caused so many issues into a nearby armchair, and questions the other man once again.</span> </p>
<p><span>"What about the rest of your crew?"</span> </p>
<p><span>"The </span><em><span>vatos </span></em><span>trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents," he explains. "They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing, too. We need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart; the worst kind - Plunderers, the kind that take by force. With the exception of your daughter, that is. She's been a great help to us since Felipe rescued her from the walkers."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rick glances at Rory, perched nearby on top of an old side table. She shrugs her shoulders noncommittally.</span> </p>
<p><span>"That's not who we are," he responds.</span> </p>
<p><span>"How was I to know?" Guillermo insists. "My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage - Appearances."</span> </p>
<p><span>The bigger stranger pipes up from his own spot slouched in a chair by the far wall: "Guess the world changed."</span> </p>
<p><span>"No," G responds instantly, "It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The </span><em><span>vatos</span></em><span> work on those cars; talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves, so that's just a dream. Still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory watches the two men share a knowing look, and she shifts restlessly on her seat. Directly across the room from her stands the scruffy stranger, studying everything with a guarded expression. His gaze lands on her for a moment, their eyes locking, but a shot of uneasiness trickles down her spine that makes her look away with a frown. He looks half-feral - like a dog who's one step away from his brother wolf in the forest.</span> </p>
<p><span>Like he could inflict a lot of damage without even breaking a sweat.</span> </p>
<p><span>Guillermo is still talking about how he and his crew fortified the building, barring the windows and welding the doors shut.</span> </p>
<p><span>"The </span><em><span>vatos</span></em><span>, they go out - Scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here, they all look to me now. I don't even know why."</span> </p>
<p><span>"Because they can," Rick tells him steadily. He looks down at the shotgun in his hand, and then hands it over silently before turning to the duffel bag and pulling out a rifle, setting it on the desk behind where G sits. Slowly he doles out a few more guns along with several boxes of ammo, and then zippers the bag shut again.</span> </p>
<p><span>The two men exchange goodbyes, and Guillermo leads everyone back into the main room. He tells his crew that the strangers are all free to go.</span> </p>
<p><span>"I guess this is goodbye then, eh </span><em><span>cariño</span></em><span>? I'm sure you'll be wanting to go with your </span><em><span>padre</span></em><span>."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory turns to see Felipe smiling somberly at her. With a tearful nod she hugs both men each in turn before moving about the room to say her farewells to each of the residents she had come to know during her stay. They all wish her the best as she trots after her father and his group, and while they make their way back onto the street, Rick drapes his arm across his daughter's shoulders.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Now we can get you back to your mom and brother," he murmurs, rubbing his palm against her upper arm. "I'm sure they're missing you pretty badly at this point."</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory's smile is blinding as she turns to her father in shock, and he gives her a smirk in return before gently steering her away from the heart of Atlanta.</span> </p>
<p><span>The group's trek back through the city is blessedly uneventful. They remain mostly silent along the way - not wanting to risk attracting walkers - with the exception of introductions. Rory already knows Glenn's name, but her father acquaints her with T-Dog, the bulky African American who gives her a friendly smile, and Daryl, the feral-looking one who does nothing more than squint his eyes and spit on the ground near her feet. She glares right back at him, and the second her father's back is turned she sticks her tongue out childishly.</span> </p>
<p><span>But as they finally reach the outskirts, trekking beneath the shadow of an elevated train track, Glenn pipes up: "Admit it: you only came back to Atlanta for the hat."</span> </p>
<p><span>"Don't tell anybody," Rory's father responds.</span> </p>
<p><span>Daryl, who hasn't said a word since their departure from Guillermo's compound, finally turns to Rick and speaks out.</span> </p>
<p><span>"You've given away half our guns and ammo."</span> </p>
<p><span>"Not nearly half."</span> </p>
<p><span>"For what?" The wild-looking man questions. "Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long you think they got?"</span> </p>
<p><span>"How long do any of us?" Rory snaps, leveling him with an icy glare. "I </span><em><span>lived</span></em><span> with those people, and I gotta say that most of them have more decency in their little finger than you do in your entire body."</span> </p>
<p><span>The pair lock eyes, each sporting a sour expression, but before he can respond their group circles around the front of an abandoned Metro bus and come to a quick halt.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Oh my God," Glenn murmurs.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl demands, momentarily ignoring his consternation with the Sheriff's daughter in lieu of more important issues.</span> </p>
<p><span>"We left it right there," Glenn continues. "Who would take it?"</span> </p>
<p><span>Rick responds without hesitation.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Merle."</span> </p>
<p><span>Realization dawns on Daryl's face. "He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp."</span> </p>
<p><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>..</span> </p>
<p><span>…</span> </p>
<p><span>..</span> </p>
<p><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>Evening is falling, and above the calls of night birds and cicadas the steady sound of footfalls and panting can be heard.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory jogs along behind her father, ignoring the stitch in her side as she keeps pace with the group. All she can think about is her mother and brother in danger, and that pushes her to keep going as they continue up the hill, keeping to the rough gravel path surrounding the quarry below.</span> </p>
<p><span>Suddenly the rapid crack of gunfire and panicked screaming rips through the relative quiet from up ahead.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Oh my God," Rick whispers.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Go, go!" Someone yells, and they take off racing towards the source of the commotion.</span> </p>
<p><span>They burst in through the back of the campsite, where everything is in utter chaos. Rick drops the duffel bag as he begins unloading buckshot into the nearest walkers, and Rory pauses long enough to grab a rifle and two clips before joining in the battle. Years ago her father had started bringing her to the gun range where he and Shane would practice after work, and it wasn't long before Rory was learning how to handle a gun all on her own. Now that practice is proving to be very useful.</span> </p>
<p><span>The clearing is filled with terrified screams and the sharp crack of the guns, but one by one the walkers fall.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory hears her dad yelling for her mom and Carl, and slowly she makes her way after him, nailing two, three, six, then eight walkers as they shamble into her line of sight. Around her the other members of the group are fighting just as hard, and out of the corner of her eye she watches Daryl decimate the skull of a fallen walker with the butt of his shotgun.</span> </p>
<p><span>"</span><em><span>Dad!</span></em><span>" she hears her little brother scream from the top of the hill, where she sees most of the survivors huddled beneath the awning of an old Winnebago.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Carl!" Rick scoops his sobbing son into his arms, holding him close to his chest.</span> </p>
<p><span>Rory finally has a clear shot through the massacre towards her family. "Mama!" she cries.</span> </p>
<p><span>Lori looks like she's seen a ghost as her daughter scrambles up the slope, and in an instant the little family is whole once again. The remainder of the walkers are quickly dispatched, and Rory weeps into her mother's shoulder as they embrace tightly.</span> </p>
<p><span>But the joy of being reunited is dampened by the cries of sorrow and fear. Among the bodies of rotten corpses lie several members of the group, clawed and chewed apart like hunks of meat. To the side a blond woman kneels over the fallen form of a younger girl, sobbing as she tries desperately to stem the flow of blood from several deep bite wounds. Rory can hear her wailing as the life fades from her companion, and she wonders if they were family, given their resemblance. The thought sobers her and she gently pulls away from her mother to haul Carl into her arms, hugging him fiercely.</span> </p>
<p><span>"I missed you, little brother," she whispers.</span> </p>
<p><span>"We thought you were dead," he responds tearfully. "I'm so glad you're back."</span> </p>
<p><span>"Me too, kiddo… Me too."</span> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since this is a couple weeks later than intended, I'm gonna upload two chapters for you all! I got some really nice comments on the first installment, and I'm so grateful for all the feedback. &lt;3 Constructive criticism is always welcomed, too!</p>
<p>Come find me on tumblr @penandcrow!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Reunions and Funerals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Life goes on after tragedy, and decisions must be made...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>The next morning dawns quiet and somber. After the battle most of the survivors didn't even have the strength to move the dead that littered the ground, and instead slept fitfully for a few hours until the sun rose over the tops of the trees. Rory wakes before Carl, and she squirms her way out of the pallet they'd shared to exit the tent. Those left alive are mulling around the clearing, laying blows to the heads of the corpses and preparing to clear away the carnage, and she sets about to help. Her dad is nowhere to be seen, but she watches her mom kneel next to the blond woman who still holds vigil over the body of her companion. She stays there for a moment, murmuring quietly, and then rolls back to her feet to depart with a pat on the mourning woman's shoulder.</span> </p><p><span>Nearby Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl are busy piling the walkers into a pyre, and Rory finally sees her dad reentering the camp as she moves to her mother's side. The pair take a seat with Carol next to the campfire.</span> </p><p><span>"Who are all these people?" she questions. "I already met those three -" she motions towards the trio she'd been with in Atlanta, "-but I don't know anyone else besides Miss Carol and Sophia."</span> </p><p><span>Lori points out each individual to her daughter: Dale, the older white-haired man who greets her warmly; Andrea, who still holds vigil over her fallen sister Amy; Jacqui; Jim; Morales and his family.</span> </p><p><span>"We all met up with Dale's group shortly after you… Disappeared," she summarizes, pulling her oldest child close. "Shane wanted to look for you so badly, but things were chaotic. We thought the worst when we couldn't find you."</span> </p><p><span>Rory tells her mom about falling into the ravine, and her rescue in the city by Felipe and Jorge. About living with Guillermo's crew and the old folks at the center. And about reuniting with her father after Glenn's capture.</span> </p><p><span>As she finishes, her dad speaks to Dale about Andrea.</span> </p><p><span>"She still won't move?"</span> </p><p><span>"She won't even talk to us," Lori answers. "She's been there all night. What do we do?"</span> </p><p><span>"Can't just leave Amy like that," Shane speaks up from across the fire pit. "We need to deal with it same as the others.</span> </p><p><span>Rory sees her father nod in agreement. "I'll tell her how it is."</span> </p><p><span>He strides over to Andrea, calling her name softly, but is stopped in his tracks when the woman levels the barrel of a gun at him. She says she knows how the safety works. Rory tenses, ready to go to her father's aide if needed, but he wisely backs away with an apology.</span> </p><p><span>"Y'all can't be serious," Daryl quips as he joins the group, slinging his pickaxe over one shoulder. "Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb."</span> </p><p><span>"What do you suggest?" Rick questions.</span> </p><p><span>"Take the shot! Clean, in the brain, from here." Daryl places two fingers against his temple. "Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."</span> </p><p><span>"No!" Rory interjects harshly. "For God's sake, let her be!"</span> </p><p><span>Both Shane and her parents remain silent, noncommittal in the wake of her outburst, but Daryl glares at them each in turn before walking away with a scoff. He strides past Jim, telling him they have work to do, and assists Morales with the next body. The corpse they begin hauling towards the pyre must have been another member of their group, because Rory watches Glenn become upset as the pair attempt to dispose of his body with the rest of the walkers.</span> </p><p><span>"This is for geeks! Our people go over there!"</span> </p><p><span>"What's the difference?" Daryl snarks in reply. "They're all infected."</span> </p><p><span>"Our people go in that row over there," the Asian boy insists. "We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand?"</span> </p><p><span>Daryl and Morales bend over to grip the body under the arms, and he repeats once more, "Our people go in that row over there."</span> </p><p><span>"You reap what you sow!" Daryl suddenly hollers, ignoring Morales as he tells the redneck to shut up and releasing his hold on the dead man. "Y'all left my brother for dead. You had this coming!" He stalks away angrily, heading for the treeline, and Rory looks to her mom in confusion. As the rest of their group continues working, Lori quickly tells her daughter about Merle's unfortunate venture into the city where they first found Rick. How he'd been handcuffed to the roof for attacking T-Dog, and how they'd been chased out by walkers and forced to leave Daryl's big brother behind.</span> </p><p><span>"When they ran into you, they'd originally gone back for Merle, but somehow he managed to escape the cuffs. I guess they never did find him."</span> </p><p><span>Rory watches Daryl as he lurks at the edge of the camp, skulking and muttering curses under his breath, while her mother talks. She can easily imagine the family resemblance, with matching rough exteriors and volatile tempers, but at the same time she can understand how agonizing it is to lose a sibling.</span> </p><p><span>Rising from her seat, she rubs her mother's shoulder comfortingly before braving Daryl Dixon's wrath.</span> </p><p><span>"I'm sorry about your brother," she tells him as she pauses nearby, arms crossed over her abdomen in an instinctively protective stance.</span> </p><p><span>"What the hell you know about my brother?" Daryl spits in response, leveling her with an icy stare.</span> </p><p><span>"I know how tough it is to be separated from them, and you don't know if they're alive or dead."</span> </p><p><span>"You don't know shit as far as I'm concerned, little girl. Why don't you run on back to your Mama before she catches you over here with the likes o' me?"</span> </p><p><span>"I'm not a little girl," Rory retorts. "And I can talk to whoever I please. But if you're gonna be an asshole, then forget it."</span> </p><p><span>"I'm pretty sure I don't give a shit, <em>little girl</em>. Now get the hell outta my sight, I ain't got nothin' to say to you."</span> </p><p><span>She turns to stomp off in aggravation, but doesn't make it far before she hears Jacqui panicking.</span> </p><p><span>"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim!"</span> </p><p><span>The group moves quickly to surround the sweating man, who insists that he's okay, but the tension is rising.</span> </p><p><span>"Show it to us," Daryl demands, brandishing his pickax.</span> </p><p><span>Frightened, Jim snatches a shovel from the ground to defend himself. Rory tries to help calm everyone, working with Shane to keep the tenuous peace, but Daryl and T-Dog circle like wolves, fierce and ready to pounce. Daryl is yelling over and over, "Grab him!", and T-Dog edges in behind the panicked man before wrapping his burly arms across his shoulders, knocking the shovel from his grasp as he restrains him.</span> </p><p><span>"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Jim insists pleadingly as Daryl yanks his t-shirt up, exposing the weeping, infected bite wound on his rib cage. The men release him instantly, moving away as he continues to murmur repeatedly beneath his breath, and everyone stands in a silent circle around him as he pants and sweats.</span> </p><p><span>Eventually Rick moves to steer Jim to the trailer hitch of the Winnebago, sitting him down before rejoining the others in discussion.</span> </p><p><span>"I say we put a pickax in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl insists.</span> </p><p><span>"Is that what you want?" Shane replies. "If it were you?"</span> </p><p><span>"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it."</span> </p><p><span>Dale speaks up, "I hate to say it, I never thought I would - But maybe Daryl's right."</span> </p><p><span>"Jim's not a monster, Dale," Rick snaps. "Or some rabid dog."</span> </p><p><span>"I'm not suggesting-"</span> </p><p><span>"He's sick," Rory's father says over the older man. "A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?"</span> </p><p><span>"The line's pretty clear," Daryl interjects. "Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be."</span> </p><p><span>"What if we can get him help? I heard the C.D.C was working on a cure."</span> </p><p><span>"I heard that too," Shane answers his old friend. "Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."</span> </p><p><span>"What if the C.D.C is still up and running?" Rick pushes.</span> </p><p><span>"Man, that is a stretch right there," the deputy replies.</span> </p><p><span>"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the C.D.C at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-"</span> </p><p><span>"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right?" Shane interrupts. "I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the Army base. Fort Benning."</span> </p><p><span>"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction," Lori finally says.</span> </p><p><span>"That is right, but it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me, if that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."</span> </p><p><span>"The military were on the front lines of this thing," Rick argues. "They got overrun. We've all </span><em><span>seen </span></em><span>that. The C.D.C. is our best choice and Jim's only chance."</span> </p><p><span>Rory, standing beside Carol, sees Daryl glance over his shoulder to where Jim sits in the shade of the Winnebago.</span> </p><p><span>"You go lookin' for Aspirin," he quips, turning his back on the group as he speaks. "Do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"</span> </p><p><span>He lunges for Jim, but Rory throws herself between the pair just as the hunter readies himself to swing the pickaxe he'd had propped on his shoulder.</span> </p><p><span>"Hey, hey, hey!" Rory's father hollers, leveling the barrel of his revolver at the back of Daryl's head and cocking the hammer. "We don't kill the living."</span> </p><p><span>After a moment's hesitation Daryl lowers his weapon.</span> </p><p><span>"That's funny, coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."</span> </p><p><span>"You put a single scratch on my daughter, and I may reconsider in your case."</span> </p><p><span>"We may disagree on some things," Shane adds as he insinuates himself between Daryl and the younger girl. "But not on this. You put it down. Go on."</span> </p><p><span>With a sour look he slams the pickax into the dirt. "She's the one stupid enough to get in my way," he mutters as he stomps away. "Ain't my fault she don't have a lick of sense in that pretty head o' hers."</span> </p><p><span>"Well fuck you too," Rory snaps at his retreating back while her dad pulls Jim gently to his feet.</span> </p><p><span>"Where are you taking me?" he questions fearfully.</span> </p><p><span>"Somewhere safe," Rick answers. As the pair pass Rory, he pins her with a glare. "And you need to go to your mother. </span><em><span>Now</span></em><span>."</span> </p><p><span>The younger girl huffs before obeying her father's command, and trudges back towards Lori where she stands scowling at her with an expression even more fierce than her husband's.</span> </p><p><span>"I lost you once, Rory. I will </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> lose you again. What were you thinking?!"</span> </p><p><span>"I knew he wouldn't do it," she grumbles to her mom. "Dumb hillbilly."</span> </p><p><span>"Daryl is the one person you </span><em><span>shouldn't</span></em><span> rile up, baby. He may not be as bad as Merle was, but he's still dangerous."</span> </p><p><span>"Mom, I'm not scared of him! He walks around like he owns this damn place. Maybe someone just needs to knock some manners into him for once."</span> </p><p><span>"Watch your mouth, young lady," Lori warns, but that ire has faded from her voice. "You'll end up just like your father at this rate."</span> </p><p><span>The two girls share a chuckle and Lori wraps her arm over her daughter's shoulders before asking her to go sit with the younger kids.</span> </p><p><span>"Keep 'em occupied for a while so we can get the rest of this cleaned up, okay?"</span> </p><p><span>Rory nods in agreement and wanders towards the tents, pausing only when she passes Daryl and Carol as they stand over Ed's mutilated corpse. She sees Daryl hand over the pickaxe, and watches on with a bit of smug satisfaction as the meek older woman splits her abusive husband's head in like a rotten melon.</span> </p><p><span>A little while later, as she helps little Sophia draw a horse on some scrap paper, a single gunshot tears through the relative silence of the camp.</span> </p><p><span>.</span> </p><p><span>..</span> </p><p><span>…</span> </p><p><span>..</span> </p><p><span>.</span> </p><p><span>Rory grows restless very quickly, and leaves the kids with Morales' wife Miranda when she shows up with a load of clean laundry. She wants to help, and sees her chance as she finds Daryl loading up the last body into the bed of an old Ford pickup. Skirting past the rest of the group as they mull around the campfire pit on the other side of the clearing, she approaches the younger Dixon brother.</span> </p><p><span>"Is my dad up on the hill with Shane digging graves?" she asks him.</span> </p><p><span>"Yeah."</span> </p><p><span>"I'm coming with you, then."</span> </p><p><span>"Like hell you are!" Daryl snaps. "You can walk with the rest of 'em."</span> </p><p><span>With a sly glance Rory leaves him to finish his task, sneaking instead towards the truck's cab. By the time Daryl hauls himself into the driver seat, she's already situated herself in the passenger side.</span> </p><p><span>"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demands.</span> </p><p><span>"I told you," she replies. "I'm riding with you."</span> </p><p><span>"Get the fuck out of here, before I make you."</span> </p><p><span>She cocks a brow and folds her arms across her abdomen stubbornly. "No."</span> </p><p><span>He growls in frustration, fuming silently as he debates how much of a scene it would cause to forcibly drag her out of the truck kicking and screaming, and then twists the key in the ignition with much more force than necessary. The younger girl smirks triumphantly and buckles her seat belt just in time as her grouchy new companion stomps on the accelerator.</span> </p><p><span>The drive up the ridge is silent and tense. Daryl makes no effort to keep his displeasure a secret, and Rory begins to second-guess her rash decision. Maybe her mother was right, and she shouldn't keep trying to poke the proverbial bear.</span> </p><p><span>Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't notice when they crest the ridge. Daryl pulls the Ford off the road, and then pushes the gearshift into reverse.</span> </p><p><span>But her head does shoot up when he turns his upper body around to look out the back window, laying his arm across the back of the bench seat. His limbs are so long that his hand brushes against Rory's shoulder, and she stares pointedly at him.</span> </p><p><span>"Don't go getting' no ideas, little girl," he tells her as he continues to look out the rear window to guide the truck back onto the road. "I'm easily twice your age."</span> </p><p><span>"I don't think age really matters during the apocalypse," she replies.</span> </p><p><span>"What, you hittin' on me now? Not sure how well the Sheriff will take to that."</span> </p><p><span>The vehicle slows to a stop, and Daryl gives Rory an obvious once-over as he parks.</span> </p><p><span>"In your dreams, hillbilly," she quips before popping open her door and hopping out. He follows close behind, shaking his head with exasperation.</span> </p><p><span>"I still think it's a mistake," Daryl tells Rick as the pair approach the two men still finishing the final graves. "Not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right?"</span> </p><p><span>As he continues speaking, Rory turns to see the rest of the group walking up the path to join them.</span> </p><p><span>"Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?"</span> </p><p><span>"At first," Shane answers.</span> </p><p><span>Daryl is less than pleased. "The Chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, and we just follow him along? These people need to know who the hell's in charge here; what the rules are."</span> </p><p><span>"There are no rules," Rick says as everyone else finally reaches the top of the hill.</span> </p><p><span>"Well that's a problem," his wife answers. Rory turns to look at her mother, wisely keeping her mouth shut. Being one of the newest members of this group, she knows her say won't hold much weight in a discussion like this. She listens, but makes no effort to join in the conversation.</span> </p><p><span>"We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves," Lori continues. "We need time to mourn, and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do."</span> </p><p><span>No one seems to have any response to her words, and so instead they move to begin the ramshackle funeral. One after the other the bodies are laid to rest, until only Amy remains. Andrea refuses any offers for assistance, fussing at Dale each time he moves to help her, as everyone else stands off to the side in silence. Rory leans into her father's side when he drapes his arm across her shoulders, and holds her little brother's hand from where he stands within the circle of their mother's embrace. They watch on in somber silence while Andrea carefully places her sister's body within its grave, and after the men pile the soil back into their holes the group moves as a single unit back towards camp.</span> </p><p><span>"Burying other people is bad enough," Rick murmurs to his wife as they trail at the end of the procession. "But the thought of one of us-"</span> </p><p><span>Lori shushes him immediately, tugging Carl to a stop as the others continue on.</span> </p><p><span>"Are we safe now, Dad?" the youngest Grimes child questions innocently. "Now that we're together?"</span> </p><p><span>Rory watches her father kneel before her little brother.</span> </p><p><span>"I won't leave again," Rick tells him. "I promise you that. Not for anything."</span> </p><p><span>Carl nods with a sniffle, and manages a tiny smile.</span> </p><p><span>"Now give me a chance to discuss some things with your mom, okay? Can you go with Rory back to camp?" Rick looks between his two children, who both nod before Rory takes Carl's hand to lead him on down the hill. She hears the mention of Shane's name before they're out of earshot, and it makes her wonder what's been going on during her absence.</span> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was a little shorter, but I hope you all still enjoyed it! As always, comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed. &lt;3</p><p>Come find me on Tumblr @penandcrow!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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